1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer systems that selectively gather, format, and present data to information seeking customers. More particularly, the invention concerns a computer-driven system that continually collects electronic data into local stores via Internet or other conveyance, and responsive to customer inquiries, selectively retrieves data from the local stores in areas of interest to the inquiring customers, and renders the data in audio form to the customers via their telephones.
2. Description of the Related Art
Today""s information age provides a limitless source of information, much of it is available through the public Internet (xe2x80x9cInternetxe2x80x9d). The Internet includes a vast number of computers and computer networks world wide, where the computers are interconnected through various electronic communication links. The key to accessing this wealth of electronic information is having a computer of sufficient computing power and other capabilities. With a keyboard and mouse close at hand, a computer user""s power to seek and retrieve information can be astonishing. Helpful and entertaining information abounds from government agencies, television stations, catalog stores, educational institutions, individuals, and many other sources.
Sometimes, it seems, there is too much information. Tools have therefore arisen for users to gather information from the Internet with added efficiency and deliberation. As an example, Internet users may actively invoke various software programs called xe2x80x9csearch enginesxe2x80x9d to construct and execute searches for particular items of data. To the user""s benefit, more passive means of information gathering are also available. Certain web vendors offer downloadable graphics xe2x80x9ctoolbarsxe2x80x9d that automatically update themselves to list the latest news headlines, stock prices, sports scores, and other items of information. To some extent, the user can personalize the display of such information. By xe2x80x9cclickingxe2x80x9d on an appropriate feature on the toolbar, the user activates a hyperlink to a source of the desired item of information on the world wide web.
In a different context, passive information is also presented upon xe2x80x9cpersonal home pagesxe2x80x9d that various web portals or independent service providers (ISPs) provide to their registered users. A user accesses his/her personal home page by directing his/her web browser to the web vendor""s Internet address, and then performing a log-in sequence. After completing the log-in sequence, the web vendor causes the user""s computer to display a page containing information and information hyperlinks specific to the user""s own personal preferences, which the user previously specified. Such information often includes news stories, weather, stock prices, sports scores, horoscope readings, and the like. In some cases, the displayed hyperlinks lead to information previously gathered and stored by the web vendor, whereas in other cases they lead to data at Internet addresses of other web vendors containing the relevant information.
Whether data is obtained passively or actively, a computer is still the indispensable passport to accessing this wealth of electronic information. Consequently, separation from a computer means the end of access to this incredible depth of information. This creates a serious problem for those that share a computer with others, for people that travel, for those with an unreliable internet connection, for those without time to conduct an Internet session, etc. Without a computer, information is still available from longstanding sources such as television, radio, newspaper, libraries, etc. With these conventional sources, however, there are two primary problems. In one case, the user has little control over the content of data. With television and radio, for example, the user can only change channels or wait for the next program. The second problem with conventional sources of information is the time required to retrieve useful information. A great deal of time is required, for example, to search through books and magazines, and such manual searches do not offer the search power, access speed, and pre-formatting of search engines and personalized home pages.
Consequently, the state of the art is inadequate for those people that have become accustomed to the quickness, variety, and depth of information furnished by computers, but unavoidably find themselves without computer access.
Broadly, the present invention concerns a computer-driven system that continually collects electronic data via Internet or other conveyance into local stores, and responsive to customer inquiries, selectively retrieves data from the local stores in areas of interest to the inquiring customers, formats the data, and transmits the data in audio form to the customers via their cellular or landline telephones.
One aspect of the invention is a method that performs customized reporting of data to customers via their telephones. Initially, an xe2x80x9cinformation delivery agencyxe2x80x9d makes advance arrangements with a predefined group of remotely located content providers to repeatedly obtain information of prescribed character. Repeatedly, information delivery agency computers gather digitally stored audio and text information from the predefined content providers and assemble the gathered information into a universal database. Separately, the agency enrolls individual customers, and also obtains each customer""s preferences specifying the type and order of information to be delivered.
Then, responsive to a telephone call from an enrolled customer, the information delivery agency""s computers engage in a playback session. During the playback session, agency computers retrieve the customer""s pre-stored preferences and proceed to identify information already in the universal database that pertains to the customer""s pre-stored preferences. Also, after preparing vocalizations of text information where needed, agency computers audibly present the audio information and text vocalizations to the customer in predetermined order via the customer""s telephone connection. This is achieved, for example, by using an intermediate telephone network such as a wireless carrier network.
The foregoing features may be implemented in a number of different forms. For example, the invention may be implemented to provide a process that involves collecting electronic data via the Internet or other conveyance, and responsive to customer inquiries, selectively retrieving data from local stores in areas of interest to the inquiring customers, and rendering the data in audio form to the customers via their telephones. In another embodiment, the invention may be implemented to provide an apparatus such as a system for delivering such information. In still another embodiment, the invention may be implemented to provide a signal-bearing medium tangibly embodying a program of machine-readable instructions executable by a digital data processing apparatus to deliver audio information as mentioned above. Another embodiment concerns logic circuitry having multiple interconnected electrically conductive elements configured to perform similar operations.
The invention affords its users with a number of distinct advantages. In contrast to previous arrangements, the invention enables customers to access the Internet regardless of whether they have access to a computer at that moment. Furthermore, since the information is rendered in audio format, customers can receive the services of this invention over widespread geographyxe2x80x94nearly anywhere with wireless, landline, or satellite telephone service. In addition, the invention overcomes limitations inherent to television, radio, libraries, and other conventional media by providing information of content and format that is carefully compiled according to the customer""s personal interests. Importantly, the transmission of audio data to customers is faster and more secure than previous arrangements because it occurs through direct telephonic connections rather than the Internet. The invention also provides a number of other advantages and benefits, which should be apparent from the following description of the invention.